November 2024 - 22

GREAT LAKES EXPO NEWS
Juice processing
and berry fertilization
Concord grape crop nutrition discussed at Great Lakes EXPO
BY MADI SCHAFER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A
t the 2024 Great Lakes Fruit,
Vegetable and Farm Market
EXPO, Zilfina Rubio Ames and
Olga Padilla-Zakour will share insights
on blueberry fertilization and Concord
grape juice cold-press techniques.
Padilla-Zakour, the Seneca
Foods Foundation professor and
director of the Food Venture
Center at Cornell University in Ithaca,
New York, will present Enhanced
Cold-Press Technique: Elevating
Flavor and Freshness in Concord
Grape Juice. Padilla-Zakour is also
the director of the Institute for Food
Safety and the Food Science Program
Leader at Cornell AgriTech.
Padilla-Zakour will discuss new
processing methods to manufacture
cold-press Concord grape juice
using nonthermal technologies.
Ames is an assistant professor
and small fruit Extension specialist
at the University of Georgia in
Tifton, Georgia, and focuses on
improving berry production systems
by improving yield and quality and
making production systems more
efficient and sustainable.
Enhanced cold-press
technique
" The demand for minimally
processed and close-to-fresh juices
9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. |
Tuesday, Dec. 10
Enhanced Cold-Press Technique:
Elevating Flavor and Freshness
in Concord Grape Juice
Olga Padilla-Zakour
22 | NOVEMBER 2024
in the combined process, the fresh
taste is preserved. Furthermore,
the juice processed this way has an
extended refrigerated shelflife of
over five months. "
Padilla-Zakour's expertise
Zilfina Rubio Ames and her team.
Photo by Zilfina Rubio Ames.
is increasing, " Padilla-Zakour
explained. " Novel technologies, such
as pulsed electric fields (PEF) and
high-pressure processing (HPP), are
offering alternatives to make highquality,
cold-pressed juices. "
These methods offer significant
benefits to growers and juice
processors.
" PEF can be used to facilitate
the cold extraction of juice and its
components - juice yield, color,
phenolic compounds, antioxidants
- while HPP is applied to cold
pasteurize the juice, " she said.
" Because there is no heat applied
3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. |
Tuesday, Dec. 10
Sap Testing in Berry Crops
Zilfina Rubio Ames
extends beyond juice processing.
As director of the Food Venture
Center, she leads an essential
Extension program that provides
assistance to over 800 clients
each year, helping to support
the commercialization of more
than 2,000 new food products
annually. Her work ensures that
food entrepreneurs and farmers
meet regulatory compliance while
focusing on food safety and stability.
For growers attending her
session, Padilla-Zakour offers
insights into how they can adapt to
the growing demand for premium,
cold-pressed juices.
" Cold-pressed juices are sold
as premium products, offering an
alternative to consumers who want
more nutritious foods. The demand
is growing, but a small portion of the
juice industry is still focused on juice
concentrate production, " PadillaZakour
said.
10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. |
Wednesday, Dec. 11
Blueberry Fertilization
Zilfina Rubio Ames
November 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2024
